Toyota-Rent-a-Car
My sister and I cleaned up the apartment while my parents went to rent a car for the drive to Hakone. We checked out of Airbnb at 10 am and stopped by Lawson’s supermarket to stock up on some food along the way.
Some tips if you ever plan to rent a car in Japan. Key in the “Map code” into the car’s GPS. It will then offer you a few different routes, the fastest route (with the most tolls), the slowest route (least number of tolls, but you waste time from travelling a longer distance), the “easy to drive” route, etc. The tolls in Japan can be as little as 300 yen to 1,300 yen. The car rental company will issue an electronic toll card (ETC) which acts like a post-paid card. It's very convenient and saves time and effort from manually paying at the many toll booths along the way. Yes, there are many toll booths. By the time our trip was completed, the total toll added up to 8,000 yen. However, petrol was much cheaper compared to Singapore. The total distance we covered from Tokyo to Hakone was 116km one way. In total, our mileage was 250km, and the petrol we had to top up (return the car with a full tank) was less than SGD20. In part, because we chose a hybrid car that was extremely fuel-efficient. Fortunately, the Toyota Corolla model’s boot was big enough to fit all 4 of our luggage. So, we were still able to just rent a sedan car. Final tip, the car rental company will give you a hotline to call in case of an accident. So, you need to have a phone that can make telephone calls, not just data.
Back to the trip. Pit Stops are brief stop-over places to release your bladder, add petrol, pump car tyres and move on. Poorly maintained, low hygiene standards with flies hovering around. Not a place you want to hang around. My impression was formed through years of visiting pit stops in Malaysia and more recently Vietnam. However, in Vietnam, it was not so bad. So, that was my definition of a pitstop up to this trip. Well, I couldn’t be more wrong…
The Japanese Pitstop
The drive from Tokyo to Hakone took about 2 hours. At the midpoint, we stopped by the Ebina, Kanagawa pitstop to have a short break. The first sign that this was not a regular pitstop was this large white tiled cuboid building, with two giant WC symbols plastered on it.
The car park lot had ample space for hundreds of cars. We easily found an empty slot and parked. We headed for the toilets and I was pleasantly surprised. The male toilet is separated into two halves, each with its own set of urinals and toilet bowls. Those with toilet bowls are lined up in a neat row of 15 cubicles. A light sensor above each cubicle signals the vacancy of the toilet, much like what we are used to seeing in basement car parks in Singapore, but now in the toilet! Shinrei told me that the female toilets also have the same feature, but they have twice as many cubicles. They even have special cubicles that are slightly bigger and more colourful, with a tiny urinal located inside. These are for male toddlers who accompanied their mother into the toilet. They even have a makeup area where the ladies can sit down and touch up their makeup!
Still in awe of the toilets, we went to the canteen area. There were many comfortable seats in the dining area and a row of different stalls selling local Japanese cuisines. The place literally could pass off as a restaurant! Tables and chairs were well maintained and not a speck of dirt on the floor. On the other side of the dining area was a supermarket. In front of that is a nice Starbucks-like cafe. After that, there is another supermarket. When I stepped out of the white building, my nose was greeted with an aroma of BBQ meats. There was another row of food stalls outside offering taco balls, yakitori, etc. What kind of a pitstop is this?
Mom bought lots of food and we enjoyed a nice meal in this heavenly pitstop. The icing on the cake was when my dad discovered a machine that offered ice water as well as piping hot green tea. And it was free for anyone! We ended up “wasting” almost an hour here.
Airbnb 2, EK house
We continued our drive to Hakone and eventually reached our Airbnb accommodation around 5 pm. It was a villa situated amidst the forest. I was very proud that she discovered this hidden gem on Airbnb. The outer facade looked like a traditional Japanese ryokan. The surrounding plants and chill winds brought a sense of tranquillity. It was even more beautiful than I envisioned it.
The interior of the house had wooden flooring. There were 2 large resting areas made up of tatami mats. These kept the place comfortable yet warm. We would find futons that would be later used to set up our resting area for the night.
Despite its rustic-looking exterior, the house had modern furniture (sofa and television) and amenities (wifi, induction cooker, washing machine, dishwasher, etc). What’s most interesting is that there is a built-in onsen bath. I quickly tested it and found that we could adjust the water temperature however hot we wanted. What a treat!
Back in Tokyo, my mom had the foresight to buy some food supplies. We would use all those materials for a delicious hotpot dinner that evening.
End of Day 5.
Hakone Open-Air Museum
We woke up to the sound of pitter-patter. It was raining and would continue to rain for the entire day. Nonetheless, we proceeded with our plan and went to the famous Open Air Museum. We started by exploring their indoor art exhibition and then venturing to its expansive grounds. So many interesting sculptures and Instagrammable opportunities.
Eventually, we reached a small building that was dedicated to Picasso’s life works. It even featured a mini-documentary where I learnt more about this gifted painter. My favourite quote of his is, “It took me a decade to paint like a child”. At 15 years old, he could already create hyperrealistic paintings that reflect the emotions of the characters in the picture. At 91 years old, he used abstract shapes and reduced forms to make them easily understandable by everyone.
Hakone Ropeway
We parked at Sounzan station (free parking here!) and continued by taking the Hakone Cable car to Owakudani station. There we ate the famous Japanese curry rice and black eggs of Owakudani.
Lake Ashi
Afterwards, we stopped by at Lake Ashi, hoping to see Mt Fuji 🗻. Alas, the rain did not subside and misty clouds only made things worse. The only thing we saw was a pirate ship and many tourists queuing to board it. However, under these weather conditions, I doubt if they can see anything. We went away, disappointed.
Yusseun Onsen
Our last activity of the day was the outdoor hot springs at Yusseun Onsen. Shinrei followed Mom to the female section, while Dad and I went to the male section. It was the second time I experienced hot springs in an open outdoor setting. The last time I had a similar experience was in Taiwan when I was only 12 years old. Occasionally I would go to Yunomori Onsen (indoor) in Singapore, with my dad. But I much prefer this outdoor concept. Yusseun Onsen had a combination of indoor and outdoor pools. I took a quick dip in the indoor pool before stepping into the outdoor pool. Surprisingly, I did not feel cold walking out butt naked. As it was raining, it felt like I was taking a rain shower while being partially submerged in a nice warm bathtub. If the outer scenery had been replaced with Mt Fuji instead of just trees, it would have been perfect.
End of Day 6.
Mt Fuji
The next day, the weather was the complete opposite. The sun was shining brightly and everything looked so beautiful. The convenience of having a car became apparent, as it allowed us to try our luck at Lake Ashi again. This time, we were able to see Mt Fuji from the base of Lake Ashi. Partially blocked by clouds, but it was a pretty good view of Mt Fuji. Not satisfied, Mom insisted on going back to Owakudani. Indeed, the place looked entirely different from yesterday. We took many pictures and had a different angle to see Mt Fuji once again. I felt like I was in a postcard. My sister and I even made giant snowballs from the snow that was still intact. We could not bear to leave but eventually did so when Dad reminded Mom of the penalty if we didn’t return the car by 1 pm.
The drive back took about 2.5 hours. This is because we once again wasted time at the pitstop. This was a different pitstop from the one we previously were at. Equally beautiful but even more massive. My parents pumped petrol back into the car and continued the drive back to Tokyo to return the car rental. We would arrive safely and conclude our driving adventure.
Shinkansen
On to our last leg of this Japan trip… Osaka! To get there, we got tickets for a Shinkansen. Taking a Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka is on my sister’s bucket list. The fact that they all start with “Shin” may have something to do with it :)
An average train ride from Tokyo to Osaka takes 5 hours. However, the fastest Shinkansen “Nozomi” can get you there in 2.5 hours. This was my first experience taking a Shinkansen. On social media platforms, I am in awe of how fast the train flies past in the blink of an eye. We got tickets for the fastest train “Nozomi” under the non-reserve seat section, so first come first serve. We made sure to arrive at the platform early and then made our way to the correct carriage.
When I was in the carriage, it felt as if I was standing on a stationary platform. The Shinkansen also had clean comfortable cushioned seats and provided free wifi. However, as it was mostly underground, the connection was very weak. My time in the Shinkansen was spent catching up on my sleep. The journey was so comfortable, my 2.5-hour nap was over before I knew it.
Airbnb 3, Bon Condo
We reached Shin-Osaka station before nightfall. There, we had to switch to another train to reach Namba station, which is a 10-minute walk to our accommodation.
One particular satisfying thing about this trip was that I could now help carry heavy luggage for my family. Gone are the days when my Mom and Dad had to struggle with all the luggage themselves. Now, the heaviest items are always carried by me. I feel good that I can contribute to making the trip less stressful. A 10-minute walk? No problem.
Dontonbori
Our Airbnb was only 5 minutes walk away from Dontonbori Street. There are probably hundreds of restaurants there, so we had dinner (Wagyu Beef!) there. Even though it was a weekday, the place was bustling with people. To say Dontonbori Street is a very colourful place is an understatement. The place transforms itself at night with its bright neon lights and giant signages to attract customers.
Most shops have a giant pop-up mascot at the front of their stall. Some of these even move! From afar, you could tell what each store is selling. This was similar to Harajuku Street but at a bigger scale.
Eventually, I found what I was looking for. The famous Glico man. Another item was cleared from our travel checklist.
End of Day 7.
Howie Chia
13 Mar 2024
TLDR
Within a single day, we switched from Hakone’s hot springs and breathtaking scenery to Osaka’s outlandish neon lights and shopping centres.
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